infamousfandomcom-20200222-history
Cole MacGrath
Cole MacGrath is the primary protagonist of inFamous and inFamous 2. Cole was a simple bike messenger who was delivering a package for someone to somewhere in the Historic District of Empire City. In the midst of his delivery however, his package exploded, resulting in half of the city destroyed, and thousands dying. However, this event resulted in Cole gaining electrokinetic super powers. Cole is voiced by Jason Cottle in inFamous and by Eric Ladin in inFamous 2. Biography Early life Originally, Cole was a courier in Empire City. He had travelled to New Marais to take advantage of the fact that the city was mostly abandoned during "the flood" (assumedly after Hurricane Katrina or a in-game equivalent) to practice parkour with his best friend Zeke Dunbar, and used it to aid in his job back in Empire City. The two most important relationships in his life were with his girlfriend, Trish Dailey, and Zeke. Day of the Blast On the job as a bike messenger, Cole was assigned to deliver a package to someone located in the Historic District of Empire City. After receiving a phone call from his boss, Cole made his way to the intersection of 19th and Sloat, where he receives a call from someone (Kessler) to open the package. Cole did as he was told and opened the package, revealing the Ray Sphere. It immediately activated, resulting in a devastating explosion that destroyed several blocks of the Historic District, and killing several civilians, due to their neuro-electric energy being concentrated into Cole. The aftermath was a city-wide blackout, the deaths of thousands, and the formation of a crater now known as Ground Zero in the Historic District, with Cole at the very center. Shortly after the explosion, a weakened Cole was awakened by a chopper looking for survivors. Instructed to meet up at the evacuation area, Cole slowly made his way there. On his way to the evacuation area, Cole showed several signs of electrokinesis, absorbing energy from a nearby power source, and also calling forth a bolt of lighting from the sky. After slowly making his way to the other side of the devastated bridge connecting the Historic District to the Neon, Cole succumbed to his injuries, and fainted. Cole was then brought to the hospital by his girlfriend, Trish Dailey. Post-Blast Empire City was put under quarantine, and, without outside help, chaos quickly descended upon the city as gangs quickly grew in number and power (Reapers, Dust Men, and First Sons). Cole awakened after about four days and gradually learned to control his electrical powers. Approximately two weeks after the quarantine was put into effect, Cole's powers had developed to the point where he could fire powerful electrical blasts and generate potent shockwaves. As he regrouped with Zeke, after obtaining food supplis, he discovered that a pirate television broadcaster, "the Voice of Survival", had identified Cole as the cause of the explosion, turning the city populace against him - including Trish, who blamed Cole for her sister, Amy, dying in the blast. Cole and Zeke attempted to escape past the quarantine using Cole's new powers, but they were overwhelmed by military units and were almost killed. Zeke escaped, but Cole was caught by an FBI agent named Moya Jones, who made a deal with Cole: to let him, Zeke and Trish past the quarantine if he returned to Empire City to help recover the Ray Sphere, the device that triggered the explosion, as well as find her supposed husband and fellow agent, John White. With John's help, Cole is able to locate and destroy the Ray Sphere, but at the cost of John's life. Eventually Cole confronts and defeats the three gang leaders (Sasha, Alden, and Kessler) and, after confronting Kessler, he dies by Cole's hands, and it is revealed that he is actually Cole from a now alternate future. It is revealed that, in his timeline, a Conduit of unimaginable power known as the Beast suddenly arrived, its one and only goal to wipe out all life on the planet. Kessler could have stopped it in the early days but, fearing for his family in the cross fire, took them and ran. The Beast went on unnopposed and when it finally caught up with Cole, his family was killed and there was nothing he could do to stop it. With no other option, Kessler used his latest power, time travel, to go back in time to strengthen his past self so, by the time the Beast arrived, he would be strong enough to defeat it. And, to ensure he would fight it, he took away everything he had to lose to make sure he wouldn't repeat Kessler's mistakes. After the events of InFamous, Moya has ordered soldiers to capture Cole, even at the cost of human life. In addition, a powerful Conduit named David tries to kill Cole, who David believes is Kessler in disguise. New Marais Due to Kessler's meddling in the timeline, the Beast arrived in Empire City much earlier than expected, devastating the city and forcing Cole to fight it unprepared. Overpowered and beaten, Cole was forced to flee and travelled to New Marais to escape from the Beast. Here, Cole hoped to acquire the information on how to defeat the Beast from an ex-First Sons scientist named Wolfe, who lives in New Marais, before the Beast followed him there. Also in New Marais are two Conduits with the ability to give Cole new powers and amplify his existing ones, named Kuo and Nix. Cole has limited time to find them, while also being hunted by "the Militia", the "Corrupted", and most importantly, the Beast. The Millitia are a group of Xenocidal extremists dedicated to "Humanity's purity" and are actively hunting down and killing Conduits to prevent them from overwhelming the human race. The Corrupted are humans who have somehow been mutated beyond recognition into feral monsters. Also see Powers Powers *'Electrokinesis': Cole is a powerful Conduit with the ability to create and manipulate electricity. **'Healing Factor': Cole's inner electric field greatly accelerates his body's natural ability to repair damage by stimulating the muscle tissue and his immune system; essentially an accelerated healing factor, making Cole impervious to most diseases except for the most powerful ones, such as Sasha's mind control tar and the extremely toxic gases that Kessler's air balloons had released. His healing capability can be temporarily boosted when he absorbs electricity. Aside from immunity to disease, Cole's natural healing factor is beyond that of any human: After the Blast, he is shown to be covered in severe electrical burns, walking with a limp, and having his left arm crippled out of shape, wounds that would take months to heal; Cole is shown completely healed of these injuries four days after the blast. With electricity coursing through his body, this also allows for his muscles to absorb huge amounts of physical trauma to a far greater degree than normal humans, granting the ability to survive falls from extreme heights with no harm to his body. Cole also has enhanced physical strength, agility, durability, and reflexes. He has not fully adapted to his powers as of yet, as he only just gained them. As of Infamous 2, Cole has adapted to them better, as he could use both of his arms simultaneously, instead of alternately switching between them, to channel his powers. **[[Melee|'Enhanced Strength']]: Cole's strength is enhanced by the electrical energy coursing through his body. **[[Reduce Damage|'Enhanced Durability']]: Cole's durability is enhanced by his electrical energy, accelerating the speed of Cole's body functions, allowing him to survive falls from incredible heights and to heal from several bullet wounds quickly. **[[Lightning Bolt|'Lightning Bolt']]: Basic lightning bolt fired from Cole's hands. Doesn't consume battery cores in inFamous 1. But it does comsume battery cores over time in inFamous 2. Available from the start. **'Electromagnetic Shockwave': A shockwave that pushes enemies and objects out of the way. Consumes one battery core upon use. Available from the start. **[[Electric Drain|'Electric Drain']]: Drains electricity from objects. Replenishes health and recharges battery cores. Available from the start. **[[Karmic Overload|'Karmic Overload']]: When the Karma Meter is full, Cole gains unlimited electricity for a short period of time. Drains a large portion of karma after use. Restores all battery cores after use. Optional upgrade of electric drain. **[[Radar Pulse|'Radar Pulse']]: A sonar which allows Cole to locate power sources, Blast Shards, Dead Drops and enemies (which are highlighted red). Doesn't consume battery cores. Available from the start. **[[Psychic Vision|'Psychic Vision']]: When Cole touches someone dead he extracts neuro-electric energy from the corpses neurons synapses. This allows him to see faint outlines of the deceased's or killer's path. Doesn't consume battery cores. Used for the first time in the mission, Blood Trail. **[[Thunder Drop|'Thunder Drop']]: Cole jumps from a high place, charges his body with electricity, then hits the ground at full force, sending a shockwave of energy in all directions to all enemies. Available from the start. **[[Gigawatt Blades|'Gigawatt Blades']]: Cole forms blades of pure energy around each of his hands, which cause massive amounts of damage when used as a melee attack (usually killing them in one hit), along with a slow motion effect upon contact. Consumes three battery cores. Optional DLC. **[[Pulse Heal|'Pulse Heal']]: When Cole finds an injured pedestrian. Cole will charge up a burst of electricity and release it into the pedestrian's body and heal them, similar to the way his own body is healed by drawing electricity from various sources. Doesn't consume battery cores. Obtained in the mission, Blood Trail. **[[Bio Leech|'Bio Leech']]: Once Cole finds an injured pedestrian or stunned enemy, Cole overpowers his victim, grabs their face, and sucks out the energy contained in the target's own bio-electric field. This, of course, results in the death of the victim. Completely heals Cole and restores all battery cores. Obtained in the mission, Blood Trail. **[[Arc Restraint|'Arc Restraint']]: Cole will send electrical energy into the ground around the target, forming into electric shackles around their hands and feet, trapping them in place. Doesn't consume battery cores. Obtained in the mission, Blood Trail. **[[Shock Grenade|'Shock Grenade']]: Small explosive balls of electricity that can stick to enemies and other objects. They are made by charging up a small amount of electricity to critical mass, thus creating an explosion. Consumes two battery cores upon use. Obtained in the mission, High Ground. **[[Induction Grind|'Induction Grind']]: Using the Grind, Cole can travel across power lines & train tracks at great speed. Induction Yield (second upgrade of electric drain), can recharge Cole's battery cores and heal his injuries while grinding along wires. Cole can also use some of his offensive powers while grinding. **[[Precision|'Precision']]: Cole can zoom in on targets and more accurately fire his Lightning Bolts, with the power itself functioning as an effective sniper mode. In addition to allowing Cole to bring electric death to his enemies with greater power as well as precision, and do so at a greater distance, time itself seems to slow down as he utilises this power. Consumes battery cores when in use, four when shot. Obtained in the mission, No Protection. **[[Static Thrusters|'Static Thrusters']]: Allows Cole to project static electricity from his palms, so instead of just free-falling, he can descend slowly from the sky in a gliding fashion. Doesn't consume battery cores. Obtained in the mission, Stranded. **[[Megawatt Hammer|'Megawatt Hammer']]: Allows Cole to fire rocket-like electrical blasts. Consumes four battery cores upon use. Obtained in the mission, Playing Hero. **[[Polarity Wall|'Polarity Wall']]: Cole creates a shield of electrical energy to protect himself from most forms of harm. The shield is almost completely impervious to gunfire (for some reason shotgun blasts still hurt him, though). Only blocks in the direction the camera is facing, and explosives will still deal damage to Cole. Doesn't consume battery cores. Obtained in the mission, Light In The Tunnel. **[[Overload Burst|'Overload Burst']]: Cole fires lightning bolts from his hands that chains off conductive surfaces, striking anyone using metal objects as cover. It is only available when Cole has Good Karma. Obtained when Cole has completed five Good side missions. **[[Arc Lightning|'Arc Lightning']]: A continuous stream of lightning from Cole's hands that chains off of conductive surfaces and enemies. It is only available when Cole has Evil Karma. Obtained when Cole has completed five Evil side missions. **[[Lightning Storm|'Lightning Storm']]: Cole calls down from the sky a storm of lightning that does massive damage to the surroundings, vehicles, and anyone in its path. Consumes battery cores continuously, draining all of the cores in 5-15 seconds. Obtained in the mission, Vengeance. In Infamous 2, Cole must decide whether to obtain powers from either Kuo or Nix, via the Power Transfer Machine. If he chooses Kuo, he will gain Cryokinetic powers, and if he chooses Nix, he will gain Pyrokinetic powers. He will also use the Amp, a specially designed melee weapon built by Zeke. Equipment Wherever Cole travels in Empire City or New Marais, he always wears a single-strapped backpack with a cellphone attached to it. His cellphone is installed with a GPS device, so that he knows where he is in Empire City or New Marais. In inFAMOUS 2, Cole starts using the Amp, which he uses as an electrically charged melee weapon. When not in use, Cole hangs the Amp from his backpack. Appearance and mental state Cole's powers change drastically depending on his mental state, represented by the choices he makes and his various Good and Evil upgrades. .]] ''inFamous No matter which path Cole chooses, he will always wear a blue and white tracksuit (depicted as black and yellow in concept art and early footage of the game), dark pants with a dark strip on the right leg that has a Union Jack corrospoding to his knee, and a messenger bag with his phone attached to the single strap. His head is closely shaved and he has a gravelly voice that may or may not be the result of the Blast. Cole is very intelligent, and is able to logically deduce the outcomes of any actions he might take, allowing the player to understand the consequences of Moral Choices they make. The electricity Cole produces changes color depending on his disposition, though remains at a consistent strength regardless of his decisions. Good The color of his attacks at Good or Neutral Karma are a bluish white, not unlike most depictions of electricity. At Hero rank, Cole is trying to protect the civilians of Empire City, and as such, he is much more accurate at shooting his lightning and other projectiles, which have been shown to be much less destructive (to the point that his Shock Grenades restrain people instead of killing them), but much stronger on individual targets than Evil Karma abilities. With the above mentioned, many people think that his abilities are tuned towards the defensive side. Because of this, civilians will cheer and take pictures when you walk by (some may even shout random things like "I want your babies!"), as well as even help you fight the Gangs, usually by throwing rocks at them. His clothes stay blue and white (though they may seem cleaner) and Cole's body will remain the same. Cole's mental state throughout the game as Good develops positively: when the good actions he performs make him a champion of the people, his focus is turned towards restoring order in Empire City, even as much as getting out of there and finding out what happened during and before the Blast. In the Good ending, Cole has become a symbol of hope to the people of Empire City, but he is still unsure of what to think of his former friend Zeke. The crime level is dropping greatly and he is currently helping in the rebuilding of the city. According to interviews, this is the canon ending to the original inFamous. Evil His powers at Evil Karma are coloured blood red, and later become black with a red outline if at the end of the game the player activates the Ray Sphere. Regardless of Cole's previous Karmic state, this action is so unforgivably evil that the player's rank is instantly shifted to and locked at Infamous (Though transitioning to the rank, via this method, does not unlock the corresponding Trophy). At the Infamous rank, Cole has no empathy for the inhabitants of Empire City, and thus, his abilities are much less focused and more destructive than the Good variants due to the lack of required precision necessary to their counterparts, but seems to do less damage when focusing on an individual. Unfortunately for any innocent bystanders, this also causes a huge amount of collateral damage on the side and civilians are often killed by the stray grenade lob. Cole also begins to change in appearance, indicating that his powers are "corrupting him": his skin will turn pale, and for every rank, black, vein-like markings that resemble electric currents will grow larger on his neck and the back of his head. This is possibly a result of the immense amounts of power surging through him, and thus, the altered appearance may be a result of the energy disrupting several bodily functions. Cole's ego is also altered. While his main focus is getting out of the city at the start of the game, his thoughts turn towards both getting more power and punishing those who did him wrong. In the Evil ending, Cole has become a tyrant and has destroyed Empire City beyond repair. The crime rate is steadily rising and Cole believes that control belongs to the strongest, and that no one is stronger than him. ''inFamous 2'' Neutral In early inFamous 2 images, Cole underwent a drastic re-design. He trades in his buzz cut for a longer style, and his delivery jacket for a black t-shirt, an orange backpack, professional free-running shoes, and his voice seems to sound less gravelly. Sucker Punch redesigned him again, due to poor fan response, with the third design now retaining the short sleeve shirt, pants, and shoes of his second look, while incorporating the hair style of the first look, and has tattoos (which change with his Karma). He also now sports a long scar running along the side of his face from his battle with the Beast. Also, as seen in the image below, his clothes also change with his Karma: a grey and white shirt for good with normal colored skin, and a black and red shirt with pale skin for evil. Zeke has also designed him a weapon called the Amp, which allows him to further manipulate his electricity. When not in use, he hangs the Amp from his backpack. Sucker Punch had mentioned that Cole's tattoos have something to do with his past before he obtained his powers. Good In inFamous 2, if you choose the good path, Cole will don a white and light grey shirt, a lighter gray and yellow colored backpack, his tatoos will change, and The Amp looks cleaner and shinier. It also looks like Cole trades his jeans for track pants. He will also have his usual look or cleaner. It seems like his scar is healing and becomes lighter or completely disappears and his tattoos will start turning into stars. Cole gains Cryokinetic (ice) powers, in addition to his Electrokinetic ones. Evil In inFamous 2, if you choose the evil path, Cole will don a ripped up black and red t-shirt, his face will become paler and sickly, and his tatoos will change. His jeans turn black with a red strip going down the side. He also wears a red belt with his pants, worn in a "punk" style. His backpack turns black and grayish-brown, and The Amp will begin to rust. His scar will also deepen, darken and grow across his face and his tatoos will be turning into pitchfork-like arrows on Cole's arms. Cole gains Pyrokinetic (fire) powers, in addition to his Electrokinetic ones. His lightning appears to take on fiery qualities , becoming more flame like and slightly orange/yellow. Side Effects and Weaknesses There are several unfortunate side effects to Cole's powers, mostly dealing with the fact that his body is constantly channeling a powerful electrical field. He can generate, channel and control electricity, but not produce large amounts of it at one time, meaning he has to siphon power from external sources to use his more advanced powers. Once Cole has used up all of his auxiliary energy, he is only capable of using Lightning Bolt, Polarity Wall, Static Thrusters, Thunder Drop (these powers probably use the static electricity in the air, like how lightning is made or it is created from the neural electrical energy from his body), and Overload Burst (good). Most dangerously, should Cole become sufficiently submerged in water, he will short-circuit and cause injury to everyone in the water, including himself. If the water is deeper than Cole's height, Cole will instantly be electrocuted and die. According to Game Director Nate Fox, this short circuit side effect forces Cole to sponge bathe and further supported this fact by reminding everyone that Cole dated Trish, a doctor, in the first game. Small amounts of water do not injure him, leaving him able to drink it (though he does short-circuit into puddles, killing anyone also standing in them, though Cole is not injured to any noticeable degree). In inFamous 2, he has been shown having the ability to use Cryokinesis, which uses water to create ice, so it is unknown if Cole can withstand large bodies of water now or possibly uses the water vapor in the air to create it, similar to using the static in the air to generate electricity. This may also mean that he will simply be able to freeze the water and then cross it, though this has yet to be confirmed. Cole also cannot use guns because the electricity from Cole's hands burns the gun powder and blows the firearm up (mentioned by Zeke in the first mission). He can't sit in cars because the electricity from Cole will react with the fuel and make the car explode. Cole is able to stand on cars during gameplay, perhaps due only to his rubber, non-conductive shoes making contact with the vehicle. It's unknown what would happen if he sat in an electric car (but, since electric cars run on, what are essentially very big batteries, it is very unlikely Cole would be able blow them up). Alternate Timeline In the original timeline, it is revealed that he developed his powers naturally and married Trish with Zeke as his best man. Later, he and Trish had twin daughters, who were fully aware of his growing powers. However, an extremely powerful Conduit known as the Beast emerged, destroying the world and attempting to kill Cole. Cole knew he was stronger and could stop the Beast near the start of its rampage, but was more concerned with his family's safety and fled, leaving the Beast for others to take on. Unfortunately, no one else was able to take on the Beast, who pursued Cole around the world, sensing him as the only true threat to its power. Ultimately, the Beast killed Trish and both of Cole's daughters, and by then, even Cole wasn't strong enough to stop it. Cole's experiences shook his very person to the core, leading him to decide on the only way to stop these horrific events. By using his newest and most dangerous power, he would make a one-way trip to the past, in the hopes that he could fix his future. He threw off his old name, becoming the man that would be known as Kessler. Gallery File:Warren.jpg|Cole overlooking Empire City. Kessler-Death.jpg|Cole defeats Kessler Infamous-2-20100618095909195 640w.jpg|Cole overlooking New Marais. 75FINAL.jpg|Cole, as he appears in a Game Informer issue. cole-mcgrath.jpg|Evil Cole in inFamous. InFAMOUS2..jpg|Cole using new magnetic powers while fighting new enemy brute. Infamous2gc4.jpg|Cole using rail-induction in New Marias. Infamous-2-20100618095835400 640w.jpg|Cole (as seen in inFamous 2), talking with Zeke at a public meeting of the Militia. 800px-InFamous_2_Cole_compare.png|Cole's old inFamous 2 look with his new look images.jpg|Cole in inFamous 2''. cole_infamous_2.jpg|New Cole looking over the new city. infamous2_powers624x351.jpg|Cole doing a Shockwave attack. Infamous 2 evil cole.jpg Cole-Caught-By-Moya.png|Cole trapped after the failed escape attempt. Cole-And-Moya-Agreement.png|Cole confronts Moya. Unconcious-Cole.png|A unconscious Cole. hybridcole2.jpg Infamous 2 Good cole.png InFAMOUS 1 jacket.jpg infamous_2_by_patrickbrown-d3eh81h-2.jpg|Cartoon photo of good and evil infamous 2 Cole 'Trivia' *An early trailer for inFamous called Cole and Zeke "college dropouts", which is why they had the menial job of bike courrier. *Cole's last name, MacGrath, is coincidentally similar as the director of an unrelated movie called Infamous, Douglas McGrath. *His first name (Cole) is derived from the Old English nickname Cola "charcoal", denoting a person with dark features, describing him perfectly with his electrokinetic powers. *Cole's powerset, abilities and how he received them are similar to, and likely inspired by, a variety of electricity-manipulators in comics and TV shows, including Spider-Man villain Electro, Surge of the New X-Men, Justice League of America member Black Lightning, Static Shock, a superhero who got his powers from a large blast, similar to the Ray Sphere explosion, and the Sith in Star Wars' ability to shoot lighting from their hands. *Cole has a sprinting and parkour style similar to that of Sly Cooper, another Sucker Punch icon, and, if you look closely at Cole's backpack, it features a Sly Cooper symbol from the Sly Cooper series, along with the numbers "1" and "3". The Sly Cooper symbol can also be found on Cole's pack in inFamous 2 *A simple thing such as Cole running or jogging has about twenty animations, for the way human beings change balance when changing directions, to subtle motions in different body parts. *An early version of Cole in one of Sucker Punch's prototypes was called GearWolf. One of the key game mechanics in this was flirting. GearWolf had an infinite supply of razor-sharp bike gears from his motorcycle, which was another game mechanic. GearWolf also had a very similar design to Cole, in terms of the backpack and jacket. This prototype saw the game's first grapple sequence, and the gears were the prelude to the electric powers. *Cole's Good and Evil Karma versions are downloadable skins in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, along with several other characters from PS3-exclusive games. "Cole" is a character on the "Heroes" team, and "Evil Cole" is a character on the "Villains" team, though he doesn't have pale skin or the the black veins on the back of his head. Zeke Dunbar is also available for the Heroes team. *Cole's backpack in inFamous ran from left to right. However in inFamous 2, it is interesting to note that his shoulder bag goes from right to left. This is possibly due to Cole's Amp and the fact that he draws it out with his right hand. *During his fight with Kessler, Kessler states that Cole's mother is ashamed of his job and tells others he is a teacher, while his father approves of Cole's relationship with Trish, considering her the daughter he never had. As Kessler already lived Cole's life, and has been watching over his alternate self all his life, it is possible that he is correct, though it is also possible that he is lying or exaggerating to mess with Cole's mind. *The fact that Cole's parents are presumably alive, yet are never seen in-game, implies they live somewhere besides Empire City. *At one point, the look of Cole in inFamous 2 was unknown since Sucker Punch stated at Comic Con that they were changing the look to be closer to the original due to the negative reaction from fans. * Cole was modeled after Jason Statham. *Cole appears to be Ambidextrous, meaning able to use both hands for writing, ect. This is clearly due to being able to change which hand Cole uses to shoot by pressing the right analog stick and at several points during the story. This is a trait exhibited by no other character except Zeke Dunbar. Also, in the gameplay trailer of inFAMOUS 2, Cole switches the Amp between his left and right hands. *It is interesting to note that, in the game, Sasha and Alden both relate Cole to Kessler. This suggests that they somehow knew about Cole's connection to Kessler. *Cole seems to get some respect for Kessler at the end of inFamous, as he states "the rage curtling inside", and does not say anything insulting Kessler when telling Kessler's vision. *Early rumors said that David Sullivan was going to act Cole for inFamous 2. This was proven false, as Eric Ladin is acting Cole. Sullivan and Ladin are very similar, though. *Cole will have three powers: Electrokinesis and, depending on Karma, Cryokinesis or Pyrokinesis. *Due to the effects of the Ionic Vortex and Lightning Storm, Cole is believed to be a weather controller. Category:Characters Category:inFamous Characters Category:inFamous 2 Characters Category:Conduits Category:Neutral Alignment Category:Good Alignment Category:Evil Alignment Category:Powers